Polish President Duda avers supporting US 'very important' for Poland's national security

As the Russian aggression against Ukraine reached close to the Poland border, Polish President Andrzej Duda on Monday stated that supporting the United States is "very important" for Warsaw's national security. He also affirmed the "best possible cooperation" to the US, stressing that the US is a "world power, a country that is able to provide us with security, which is friendly to Poland." 

Duda's remarks come days after US Vice President Kamala Harris visited Poland. At a presser on the sidelines of a meeting with Harris, Duda had informed that both the leaders had discussed the burden on Poland due to the stream of refugees. Duda added that he also urged the US VP to help speed up consular processes so that fleeing Ukrainians could seek asylum in the US.

The meeting followed a brief disconnect between the two North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) members over providing Ukraine with fighter jets. At the presser, Harris also clarified that the US along with Poland "are united" to help Ukraine. She had also underscored commitment to Poland's regional security by promising two Patriot missile systems, which were "temporarily" moved from Germany last week.

US rejects Poland's offer to send MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine

Poland last Tuesday offered to hand over its MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine in a bid to deter Russia's offensive against Ukraine. However, it added that the aircraft would be delivered only to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, leaving the decision to deliver them to Ukraine up to the US and NATO alliance. The announcement came as a surprise for the US officials. Washington quickly rejected the idea as the Pentagon stated the proposal of sending fighters from a US/NATO base “to fly into airspace that is contested with Russia over Ukraine raises serious concerns for the entire NATO alliance.”

Pentagon spokesperson Kirby declared that the scheme was "not tenable." He underscored that Washington is not clear about the "substantive rationale" for the proposal. "We will continue to consult with Poland and our other NATO allies about this issue and the difficult logistical challenges it presents, but we do not believe Poland’s proposal is a tenable one,” FT quoted.

(Image: AP)